


faded pictures in my scrapbook

by penguinated



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:54:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26787019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinated/pseuds/penguinated
Relationships: Shifty Powers/Original Female Character(s), Shifty Powers/Reader
Kudos: 7





	faded pictures in my scrapbook

You always loved a salty breeze. Even though it made your skin a little grimy, something about it was refreshing. Maybe it was because you hardly ever experienced it coming from a tiny town in the corner of Virginia. Or maybe it was just a welcome distraction from the constant and aching worry in your heart. 

Closing your eyes to the sunset, you were back at home and seeing the looks on your parents’ faces as they presented you with a gift. You, however, clutched a tear-stained letter to your chest and sank to the floor. Shifty had been in a car accident and would not be returning home for months. 

_ He’s alive _ , you told yourself.  _ At least he’s alive _ . 

Luckily, the gift your parents had was right on time. A trip to Europe to go and see Shifty and surprise him. You decided to keep it a surprise, but now you were heading to a hospital instead of a hotel. Plus, you had to tell him that you were in love with him. 

You and Shifty grew up right next door to each other. Your fathers worked together, and your mothers became best friends. But you and Shifty - who you called Darrell - became inseparable. You walked to and from school together, you played games together, and you grew into young adults together. The only time you weren’t with him was when his dad took him hunting or fishing. And then, even worse, the war came. You couldn’t remember being apart from your best friend for this long and it was killing you. 

When he was gone, you realized that you loved him. As more than a friend. He was your whole world. You wanted to tell him so desperately, but it wasn’t the sort of thing you said in a letter. 

To occupy yourself, you began creating a scrapbook. All the photos of you and Shifty as children, all the notes you passed to each other in class, letters throughout the war, carefully placed on pages and memorialized. You added decorations and wrote small captions on anything you thought he might need a refresher on. A lot of new things had happened to him, so your old memories had probably faded. 

Standing on the ship, you looked at one picture you had kept out of the book. It was his military portrait. You carried it with you everywhere. When he first sent it to you, you told him in your return letter how handsome and grown up he looked. As you gazed upon it now, you remembered more the boy who had been your companion all your life. 

You sighed, wondering if this ship could move any faster. 

After another day and a half, you docked in France. It hit you suddenly as you disembarked just how far away from home you were. It was like entering a whole new world. One you’d only seen in the movies or read about in books. 

There was a train ride after that would take you to Austria. You felt excited now. You were so close - so very close. 

After the train, was a bus. After the bus, a jeep. Until finally, you were standing outside the doors of a hospital. Behind those plants of wood lay your dearest friend and love of your life. You were going to see him for the first time in almost three years. The thought made your stomach churn. It felt like a knot of nerves and excitement twisted up and sitting in your belly. You took a deep breath and finally pushed the door open.

The hospital was surprisingly peaceful. You approached the front desk and gave the name of the person you were visiting. The nurse gave you his room number, but she stopped mid-sentence when she saw your bags. 

“Are you staying long, miss?” she asked. 

She spoke English well, with a slight accent. 

You nodded. “Until he comes home.”

“You have hotel?” she questioned. 

“Not yet,” you told her. “I’ll stay with him, if I can.”

She smiled kindly. “You may leave the bags here for now. I will send someone with them to you later.”

“You’re awfully kind, thank you,” you said. 

So, free of your luggage, you headed toward the room number she gave you. It was on the second floor, so you had some time. You were drawing a blank on what you were going to say though. Should you tell him right away your feelings were different? Or would that overwhelm him? Then, even worse, what if he didn’t feel the same?

You shook your head. He was recovering from an injury, you couldn’t talk about your feelings just yet. All you could do was be there for him. 

The hallway felt like the longest walk in the world. Longer than the rest of the trip, even. Your heels sounded so loud as they clicked toward his room. It felt like a dream. As if any second you would open your eyes and be back in your own bedroom, missing Shifty so much you would feel it in your bones. 

Noise distracted you from your own anxiety. It sounded like there was a party going on in the room that was your destination. Several men’s voices drifted from it. You stood in the doorway and looked inside. The bed wasn’t even visible with the amount of people surrounding it. A group of men stood there, laughing and talking. It warmed your heart. 

You knocked softly on the door and cleared your throat. They all stopped and turned eyes on you, making you feel timid suddenly. 

“Pardon me,” you said. “Um, is this Darrell Powers’s room?”

They blinked at you a moment before a voice came from the bed. 

“Y/N?” 

You’d know that voice from anywhere, especially the way he said your name. 

“Special visitor, Shifty?” teased one of the men as he stepped aside. 

And finally, he was there. He was bruised and broken, but as he met your gaze, his lips parted into that beautiful, warm smile of his. Your heart felt like it was going to burst from your chest and leap into the bed with him. 

“Oh, Darrell!” you gasped, and ran to his side.

“Y/N!” he cried, reaching out his hand. 

Hot tears filled your eyes as you took his hand, interlocking his fingers with yours. You brought it to your face and pressed your lip to his knuckles, ignoring the scabs that were forming there. 

“What are you doing here, darlin’?” he asked gently. 

The surprise was evident on his face. But he was clearly thrilled. You blinked and felt the tears run down your cheeks. How could this be real? You were really together after all this time? Your senses told you so - you could see him and hear him and touch him. But your mind could barely register it after so much longing. 

“I came to surprise you,” you choked out. 

“Aw, don’t cry, sweetheart,” he said. 

“Oh, enough about me, Darrell, are you alright? Are you bad hurt?”

He chuckled as you sniffled, but then he winced. 

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I’ll be alright. I’m in a little bit of pain, but the doctor says I should make a full recovery. But, goodness, I’m so glad to see you, Y/N, I feel like I could walk out of here right now.”

You tried to laugh, but more tears escaped. 

“I’m glad to see you too,” you managed to say. “It feels so like a dream.”

He flushed, pink rising to his cheeks. You suddenly remembered all his friends around you and grew bashful as well. 

“Oh!” you said, dabbing at your eyes. “Why don’t you introduce me to everyone?”

“Sure thing!” he agreed, eager for the distraction from the emotions. “Y/N, these are some of the guys from my company. There’s George Luz, that’s Popeye, Frank Perconte, Johnny Martin, the Bull, Floyd Talbert, Joe Liebgott, Babe Heffron, Don Malarkey, and Doc Roe. They’ve come to see me before they all head home or....” He trailed off and cleared his throat. “Guys, this is Y/N Y/L/N, my friend and neighbor from back home.”

“How do you do, gentlemen?” you asked.

They all murmured polite responses and you smiled. 

“So, how long have you known Shifty?” asked Luz.

“Since we were babies,” you told him. “We grew up together.”

“Would you like us to give you some time?” Martin offered.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” you insisted. “I’ll be here a while.” 

They remained another hour or so, but they all had places to be or training to complete. They filed out of the room and finally, you were alone with your friend. You gave his hand a squeeze and scooted your chair closer to him. 

“Tell me all the news from home,” he said. “My mom and dad, are they-”

“They’re fine, D,” you assured him. “They miss you like crazy, but they’re doing just fine. I promised your mother I’d look after you.”

He beamed. “She sure can count on you.”

You returned the smile. “Of course she can.”

“And...how have you been?” he wondered.

“Just miserable without you,” you answered. “Of course, I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through.”

“I’m not sure I could describe it to you,” he replied. He looked at his lap and toyed with the blanket. “I’ve seen things and...well, I’m not sure a lady would wanna hear about it.”

You smirked. “Since when do you think of me as a lady?” 

He blushed and smiled to himself. 

“Well, you look like one!” he insisted. “Gosh, Y/N, you walked here and you looked...I mean, it was different than last I saw you!”

You giggled. Oddly, you felt the same. Not that your feelings for one another had changed - the affection was still there - but neither of you were the same people. Shifty was sadder somehow. A bit of light was lost from his eyes. 

“You too,” you said. “Look, you’ve gotten so thin! Don’t they feed you in the Army?”

“Barely,” he joked. “Nothing like you or Mama used to make.” 

Shifty’s mother was truly the greatest cook you’d ever known. Not that your mother was a poor cook, but something about Mrs. Powers’s touch made everything taste incredible. She insisted it was the love she put into each dish. You learned as much as you could from her. In fact, she seemed to cook more while Shifty was gone. If she could occupy her hands, she could occupy her mind.

“Well, that’s a shame,” you told him. “You boys have done so much for your country, and they can’t even give you a proper meal?”

He chuckled and squeezed your hand again. 

“Thank you, Y/N,” he said seriously. “For coming all this way. It’s so far from home, and -”

“None of that, now,” you cut across him. “My home is wherever you are, Darrell.”

He looked away so you wouldn’t see his eyes water. 

The coming weeks were both busy and slow. You almost never left the hospital. Shifty was steadily recovering and regaining his mobility, and you were sure to encourage every bit of progress he made. You showed him the scrapbook, which he opened any time he started to feel too homesick. The war officially ended, and now his buddies would be going home, which made it tougher to swallow that he was stuck here. 

He was looking at it the day Major Winters stopped by to say goodbye. You were dozing on the little couch next to the window. Shifty ran his finger over a photo of the two of you standing by his father’s car on the first day he was learning to drive. He remembered your support then, and he felt his chest tighten as he compared it to now.

He looked over when he heard footsteps, and he gave Major Winters a salute. Winters returned it and they cut them quickly. Then, Winters took a seat that was ordinarily occupied by you.

“Good afternoon, sir,” Shifty said. 

“Hey, Shifty,” the major returned. “How’re you feeling?”

“Much better, sir,” Shifty said. “I’m making good progress, and they’re sure I’ll be able to walk again now.”

“That’s great news,” Winters replied with a kind smile. “Whatcha got there?”

He nodded toward the scrapbook in Shifty’s lap. The latter smiled down at it.

“Y/N made it for me to remind me of home,” he said fondly. “I was just remembering how often she’s there for me.”

Winters glanced at your sleeping form on the couch. 

“Yeah, she’s dedicated,” he said. “Are you two just friends or is there something more?”

Shifty blushed. He looked over to make sure you were still sleeping. 

“Honestly, sir, I’ve always hoped it was something more,” he admitted. “But, things are so different, I…”

He trailed off. Winters moved closer. 

“Different how?” he asked. 

“Before I left for the war, I thought about askin’ her to marry me,” Shifty explained. “Really, I did. Because I thought if I died, that’d be the thing I regretted most, y’know? Not telling her how I really feel. But then I got scared she’d say yes, and if I died, she’d be a young widow and have to go into mourning and well...I didn’t really want that for her. And now...I can’t ask her to marry me now because I’m all broken. I don’t know if I’ll ever be right again or if I’ll be able to, uh, y’know, give her any children. And she’s always wanted children, sir. She oughta have children. But, I…” 

“You must really love her,” Winters said. “To be considering all that.”

“Oh, I do, sir,” Shifty replied. “I love her more than anything.”

“I think she feels the same,” Winters told him. “I mean, she came all the way to Europe and hasn’t left your side. She made you something to comfort you, and she won’t leave here until you do. You don’t do all that for someone who’s just a friend.”

Shifty’s blush deepened.

“And if you’re worried about having children,” Winters continued. “Ask your doctor. He’ll be able to tell you if that’s something to worry about. But from where I’m sitting, Y/N wants to be your wife.”

“You really think so?” Shifty questioned. 

Winters nodded. “I do. I wish you both every happiness.”

“Thank you, sir,” Shifty said. 

“Good luck, Shifty,” Winters said. “Write to me and let me know how it goes.”

Shifty smiled. “Thank you, sir. I will, sir.”

They exchanged another salute and then the major left. Shifty looked back at you just as you started to stir. You didn’t wake, you just rolled over so he could see your face. He was sure he’d never seen anything lovelier. 

Over the coming weeks, Shifty considered Winters’s advice more and more. After checking with his doctor, who assured him that everything -  _ everything _ \- would be back to normal, he was more determined to ask you. He tried to gauge your feelings, but you were already so close, it was difficult to determine where your heart was. But he ultimately decided that Winters was right. 

One night, as you settled into the chair to read to him, Shifty decided he was going to ask you. There was no use in putting it off any longer. 

“Now this one was a recommendation from the librarian,” you said, starting a new book. “It’s about a funny little creature called a Hobbit. Isn’t that a funny name?”

You searched his face for some reaction, but found none. His behavior was starting to concern you. It often appeared he was looking somewhere far away, gazing at something you couldn’t see. Now, it felt like he couldn’t even hear you. 

“D?” you pressed. 

“Y/N,” he returned. “Have you ever thought about - I dunno - getting married?”

You blinked, taken aback, and set the book down in your lap. 

“Married?” you questioned. “Sure I have. Doesn’t every young woman think about it?”

“I guess so,” he said. “I suppose I was...hoping, or...wondering...oh, I dunno. Forget it.”

“No, Darrell, what is it?” you insisted. “What’s got you thinking about marriage all of a sudden?”

“It’s not all of a sudden,” he returned. “I’ve been thinking about it since before the war, but now it’s all over and it’s even more important to me.”

“Marriage is?”

“It isn’t for you?”

You sighed. “Something more specific is on your mind, and you’d best tell me what it is, Darrell.”

He almost laughed. You knew him so well. 

“Well, Y/N, I was wondering,” he began, but took a moment to swallow. “I was wondering if you’d ever consider marrying me.”

He couldn’t have shocked you more if he’d reached over and slapped you.

“I - what?” 

“Y/N, I’m askin’ you to marry me,” he said again.

Your heart hammered against your ribcage as you gaped at him. 

“You better not be joking, Darrell Powers, I will -”

“I’m not joking,” he chuckled. “I love you, Y/N. And I probably shoulda told you a long time ago, but I’m telling you now. I love you. With all my heart, I do.”

A slow smile crept across your lips at each word. Shock dissolved into joy. Your greatest dream was coming true. 

“I came to Europe to tell you that I love you, and you’ve somehow beat me to it,” you said, and he grinned. “Of course I’ll marry you, darling.”

You stood up, stood next to his bed, and then lowered your lips to his. They were soft, pillowy, and warm. He kissed you back sweetly and carefully, letting you set the pace. The connection between you sent an electric shock from your toes to the ends of your hair. You hummed as you pulled away. 

“Oh, yes,” you sighed. “I think you’ll do.”

He laughed and cupped your cheek in his palm. 

“I feel so silly to have waited so long, but -”

“You don’t have to explain,” you assured him. “We love each other, that’s all that matters.”

That schoolgirl giddy feeling began to come over you the more you thought about it. You were in love! And getting married! To perhaps the greatest, sweetest man in the world! You giggled and pecked his cheek. 

“I’ll write to our folks and tell them the news,” you said. “They’ll be thrilled.”

You pulled out your stationery and pen out of your bag and began scribbling away in the chair. Shifty admired you from his bed and pictured the life he had to look forward to. You’d be there to help him finish physical therapy. You’d build a home together. You’d be his wife and the mother of his children. You’d grow old beside him and love him relentlessly, and he’d love you right back. 

Luckily, you’d left plenty of pages of the scrapbook blank.


End file.
